New Hymn/Poem For Ya

Here's a new hymn I wrote last weekend. I've been thinking about the problem of suffering lately:

How blessed we are through all the pain
That drives us to our knees,
That shows the weakness of our strength --
Proves Your sufficiency.
Through desperation, suffering
At last we see the truth:
We could not master our own fate --
That power lives in You.



How blessed we are through all the pain
That won’t let us forget
This life is not our final state;
You are not finished yet.
You left to build a place for us;
Why would we want to stay
And let the worries of this world
Steal our hearts away



How blessed we are through all the pain --
The lumber of our cross.
We take it up and journey on
Through Your own strength, in us.
We sing and pray through suffering,
Then others understand
That stubborn peace in perilous times
Comes from Your nail-scarred hands.

Jive Monkey Gold: Nickel Creek Lyric Analysis

As you read in earlier posts here on Jive To The Monkey, Nickel Creek will be disbanding at the end of 2007, taking a hiatus of indefinite length. Here is a post I ran in March of 2005 about a song from their debut album:

Lyric Analysis 4: "Reasons Why" by Nickel Creek

Time now for a discussion of Nickel Creek's "Reasons Why," a haunting, provocative song from their self-titled major label debut. Here are the lyrics:

"Reasons Why"
lyrics by David Pucket. music by Sean Watkins

Where am I today? I wish that I knew
'Cause looking around there's no sign of you
I don't remember one jump or one leap
Just quiet steps away from your lead

I'm holding my heart out but clutching it too
Feeling this short of a love that we once knew
I'm calling this home when it's not even close
Playing the role with nerves left exposed

Standing on a darkened stage,
stumbling through the lines
Others have excuses,
but I have my reasons why

We get distracted by dreams of our own
But nobody's happy while feeling alone
And knowing how hard it hurts when we fall
We lean another ladder against the wrong wall

And climb high to the highest rung,
to shake fists at the sky
While others have excuses,
tI have my reasons why

[Bridge:]With so much deception
it's hard not to wander away
It's hard not to wander away
It's hard not to wander away

So we have 3 verses, a bridge, and two choruses that are really more like bridges themselves, or turnarounds -- just extensions to the verses. The rhyme scheme for the verses is:

A
A
B
B
with two of the three "B" couplets ending on assonant rhymes (same vowel, different consonant)

For the chorus, it's

A
B
C
B

The bridge is "A" for the first line, then "B's" all the way since the last three lines are identical.

You'll notice that with good songs, the rhyme scheme of the chorus is often different from the verses. This is one way (melody and of course subject matter being others) to make the chorus stand out.

Another thing that Pucket does here is change the lyrics of the chorus slightly to continue developing the metaphor established in each verse. So when the second verse ends with:

Playing the role with nerves exposed

he continues with theater symbolism in the chorus:

Standing on a darkened stage
Stumbling through the lines

Likewise, the third verse ends:

We lean another ladder against the wrong wall

and the altered chorus begins:

And climb to the highest rung
To shake fists at the sky

This grouping and development of metaphorical content contributes to the integrity of the song's structure. The soft, mid-tempo, yearning music that Watkins built around the lyrics does so as well, by putting the listener in a contemplative mood before the first note is sung.

The song is about faith, and as is often the case, the "secular" band Nickel Creek (all group members are evangelical Christians, though they are not a "Christian band") has formed a song that is more in the spirit of the Psalms than what is sung in most churches. Yet there is no "churchiness" to the lyrics -- no ten-gallon theological words or phrases.

But it is more than just an ability to put Biblical concepts into "street language." It is about courage and freedom -- the freedom and courage required to say "I'm confused and cold right now." "Christian" artists can't say that -- or at least they think they can't. We Christians have to have all the answers (there is a difference between knowing The Answer and having the answers). We have to stand on a tower and shout "I Have Found The Way," lest anyone mock us when we wimper "I feel like I'm lost in a crowd." I think we figure that people won't want to follow Christ until we Christians can make them believe they will be perfect when they do. I'd be interested in reading anyone's thoughts on this matter.

This narrator has distilled a big truth of the human condition into a couplet:

I don't remember one jump or one leap
Just quiet steps away from your lead

We often don't lose sight of Christ overnight -- it's a gradual slipping away. And we want to return to our first love, while at the same time fearful of being rejected, of having played the prodigal once too often:

I'm holding my heart out but clutching it too
Feeling this short of a love that we once knew

The narrator is also unafraid to place the blame where it ultimately belongs, rather than a simple, lazy "devil made me do it":

We get distracted by the dreams of our own

At the same time, this is a narrator who is unable to approach full candor. She (the song is sung by Sara Watkins) wants us to know that, wink, wink, others offer the same sentiments as "excuses," but to her they're "reasons why." Watkins conveys a hint of irony in these lines. Of course "excuses" and "reasons why" amount to the same thing. And so while it is true that:

With so much deception
It's hard not to wander away

The truth is, this is just another "reason why." The genius of the Nickel Creek recording is their ability to convey the irony. We sing along, all the while realizing that our excuses are inadequate. We have drifted. Check out "Reasons Why" on their Sugar Hill debut Nickel Creek (2000).

How Psychic Are You?

You Are 80% Psychic

You are so very psychic. But you already predicted that, didn't you? You have "the gift" - and you use it daily to connect with others. You're very tapped into the world around you... Just make sure to use your powers for good!

Are You Psychic?

Poetry From Amy Lowell

We leave the Nickel Creek story for now and highlight my choice for poem of the day:



"Suggested by the Cover of a Volume of Keats's Poems"
by Amy Lowell


Wild little bird, who chose thee for a sign
To put upon the cover of this book?
Who heard thee singing in the distance dim,
The vague, far greenness of the enshrouding wood,
When the damp freshness of the morning earth
Was full of pungent sweetness and thy song?

Who followed over moss and twisted roots,
And pushed through the wet leaves of trailing vines
Where slanting sunbeams gleamed uncertainly,
While ever clearer came the dropping notes,
Until, at last, two widening trunks disclosed
Thee singing on a spray of branching beech,
Hidden, then seen; and always that same song
Of joyful sweetness, rapture incarnate,
Filled the hushed, rustling stillness of the wood?

We do not know what bird thou art. Perhaps
That fairy bird, fabled in island tale,
Who never sings but once, and then his song
Is of such fearful beauty that he dies
From sheer exuberance of melody.

For this they took thee, little bird, for this
They captured thee, tilting among the leaves,
And stamped thee for a symbol on this book.
For it contains a song surpassing thine,
Richer, more sweet, more poignant. And the poet
Who felt this burning beauty, and whose heart
Was full of loveliest things, sang all he knew
A little while, and then he died; too frail
To bear this untamed, passionate burst of song.

More On The Nickel Creek Story

GO HERE for a new story on the end of Nickel Creek by Billboard Magazine.

Nickel Creek Disbands!

Say it ain't so!

Nickel Creek has posted this message for their fans:

Dearest Listener,

After seven years of extensive touring in support of three records
(seventeen years
as a band), we've decided to take a break of indefinite length at the
end of 2007
to preserve the environment we've sought so hard to create and to
pursue other
interests. It has been a pleasure to write, record, and perform for you
through the
years and we'd like to heartily thank you for your invaluable
contribution to our
musical lives.

Yours,

Nickel Creek
(Sean, Sara, and Chris)

Woe is us. Woe, I say, is us.

Bliss!

I'm listening to "Modern Times," the new Dylan record, right now on my XM player. It hits stores tomorrow. I shall, of course, buy a hard copy. Can't wait.

It's good, people. He recorded it with his touring band, and yes, as has been reported in the press, he does name-check Alicia Keyes (in the first song).

Great stuff but I haven't really got to immerse myself in it yet.

A Quote For You

"Absence lessens half-hearted passions, and increases great ones, as the wind puts out the candle and yet stirs up the fire."

-- La Rochefoucauld

A Thousand Kisses Deep, by Leonard Cohen

This speaks powerfully to me about the eventual emptiness and self-defeatism inherent in easy thrills, surface-level relationships, and uncontrolled passions. It's by one of our greatest living songwriters, Leonard Cohen:

The ponies run, the girls are young,
The odds are there to beat.
You win a while, and then it’s done –
Your little winning streak.
And summoned now to deal
With your invincible defeat,
You live your life as if it’s real,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.

I’m turning tricks, I’m getting fixed,
I’m back on Boogie Street.
You lose your grip, and then you slip
Into the Masterpiece.
And maybe I had miles to drive,
And promises to keep:
You ditch it all to stay alive,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.

And sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.

Confined to sex, we pressed against
The limits of the sea:
I saw there were no oceans left
For scavengers like me.
I made it to the forward deck.
I blessed our remnant fleet –
And then consented to be wrecked,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.

I’m turning tricks, I’m getting fixed,
I’m back on Boogie Street.
I guess they won’t exchange the gifts
That you were meant to keep.
And quiet is the thought of you,
The file on you complete,
Except what we forgot to do,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.

And sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.

The ponies run, the girls are young,
The odds are there to beat . . .

What is this saying to you?

Jive Monkey Gold: Jive Talk

Now and again someone asks me what it means to be jive to the monkey, or why I have named my blog site Jive To The Monkey. So, for the benefit of you newbies, I will rerun a column that spells it all out for you. It first appeared in February of 2005. You'll note, as you read the end of this article, that there are still no pictures in my blog posts because the Stupid Technology Monkey still has me down:

What's all this "jive" talk?

"Jive to the monkey?" you ask. "What are you talking about?"
It's simple, really. "Jive to the monkey" is a philosophy of life, a way for you to carry your heavy burden, smiling all the while. Follow me:

The "monkey" is whatever ails you. You know, like "I have a monkey on my back." The monkey claws your shoulders, he breaths his banana-scented breath right in your face, he weighs you down. In short, the monkey is an insecure job, a tough class, a mean ex ... whatever.

So what do you do? Do you let that monkey drag you down? No ... you dance! You are JIVE to that chimp! Oh yes, you are jive.

"Look at me, monkey; I'm dancing! How do you like me now, monkey? Are you getting dizzy, monkey? What, you say you're scared? You want me to stop? Oh no, little monkey ... you wanted on, remember? You like mambo, monkey? How 'bout some breakdancing? Here we go, monkey, ring around the rosey ...."

So now, you people, I have prepared you for a new way of dealing with stress. You jive? Yes, you're jive. We're all jive. Jive to the monkeys that oppress us. Now, together, let us press on. And whenever that monkey starts to wear you down, just swing by the Jive To The Monkey Blog. Take your shoes off (not so much for your comfort -- I don't want you to get my rug dirty), let me get you some coffee. Listen to me ruminate on life, love, art, and whatever else pops into my head, and feel free to comment.

We'll have plenty of great features in this forum. Poetry, yarns, interviews with Cool Friends Of Mine (including some of you people reading this now), skits, Q & A sessions where I will answer your questions, and all manner of little tidbits. And by the way, no foreign language comments allowed. I've got my eye on all you Frenchies. I don't trust you, not one little bit.

P.S. There will be no pictures on this blog until I figure out how to do it. And that could take a while. Stupid Technology Monkey.

What Famous Painter Should Paint Your Portrait?

Just for the record, I would prefer this thing not use the adjective "gorgeous" because it sounds like, as Rabby would say, a "nancy-boy" compliment. I will allow striking, debonair, or handsome. And now, my results:

Who Should Paint You: Gustav Klimt

Sensual and gorgeous, you would inspire an enchanting portrait.. With just enough classic appeal to be hung in any museum!

What Artist Should Paint Your Portrait?

What are YOUR results, dear reader?

Busy. But got a question for ya

An officer in my firm is leaving Friday and I've been asked to write a song for her going away party. Plus, I'm working on another assignment for my church website similar to the songwriting one that I provided a link for on this blog last week. Therefore, I don't have much time for blogging.

But answer me this: why does the United States, on a map, look just like a pork chop? Why? Coincidence?

Who has the answer?

Now You'll Know Even More:

Definition entry from "The Instant Intellectual: The Quick And Easy Guide To Sounding Smart And Cultured" by Norah Vincent and Chad Conway, c. 1998:

Angry Young Man:

A (literary) character type who appeared in the works of a group of young British writers during the mid-twentieth century. He expresses the bitterness of the lower classes toward the establishment, and is exemplified best in John Osborne's 1956 play "Look Back In Anger."

Here's Another One

I had intended to present this song at the monthly worship songwriting workshop here in Louisville but we were running short on time, and we had already worked on a song I cowrote with another participant so I held off on presenting this one. I may do it next month. In the meantime, if YOU, dear reader, have any lyric advice, questions, feel free to leave a comment here or even shoot me an email:

YOUR LOVE COMPELS US

verse meter: 8-7-8-7. prechorus: 7-7-7-7 chorus: unmetered
verse one

Lord who rescues orphaned children,
Lord who comforts sick and lame,
Lord who pardons those in prison
When they call upon Your name:

pre-chorus

Give us all a heart like Yours
Give us all a heart like Yours
Give us all a heart like Yours …
Broken for the lost and poor.

chorus

Jesus, Your love compels us,
Makes us want to go,
Makes us want to go
To carry peace to a cold, rock-bottom world …
We will do as You have done.

verse two

Lord who died for every culture,
Every language, every race,
Lord who rose and then ascended
To prepare a better place:

repeat pre-chorus

repeat chorus

Lord who says, “Till I come for you
Storm the very gates of hell.
Fight corruption; free the captive.
No retreat; you cannot fail.”

repeat pre-chorus

repeat chorus

c. 2006

Know Your Laureate!

HERE is a link to a great article on the newest U.S. poet laureate, Donald Hall. It's great stuff -- gives a pretty good biographical sketch (some of you may also know him as the husband of the late poet master Jane Kenyon), selections of his work, and glimpses of some of the things he plans to do to raise the profile of poetry in America as our new laureate.

And for those of you who willfully choose, to your doom, not to click on the link, here is one of his poems:

Ox Cart Man
by Donald Hall


In October of the year,
he counts potatoes dug from the brown field,
counting the seed, counting
the cellar's portion out,
and bags the rest on the cart's floor.

He packs wool sheared in April, honey
in combs, linen, leather
tanned from deerhide,
and vinegar in a barrel
hoped by hand at the forge's fire.

He walks by his ox's head, ten days
to Portsmouth Market, and sells potatoes,
and the bag that carried potatoes,
flaxseed, birch brooms, maple sugar, goose
feathers, yarn.

When the cart is empty he sells the cart.
When the cart is sold he sells the ox,
harness and yoke, and walks
home, his pockets heavy
with the year's coin for salt and taxes,

and at home by fire's light in November cold
stitches new harness
for next year's ox in the barn,
and carves the yoke, and saws planks
building the cart again.




From White Apples and the Taste of Stone. Copyright © 2006 by Donald Hall.

Great New Songwriting Resource

Go HERE for a brand new web page that I've been working on with the worship arts pastor of my church, Sojourn Community. It's part of Sojourn's web page, and it's designed specifically for worship songwriters, although most of what's on there is general songwriting aids for songwriters of all stripes.

It's a beta version -- there will eventually be a lot more stuff and some interactive features. But for now, if you have an interest in songwriting you can cruise through the table of contents and click on links to many sites and articles about all aspects of songwriting. The links are divided by category so you can quickly pick and choose what you need: articles on lyric writing, melody, interviews with songwriters, hymn-writing links, etc.

Thought For The Day

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ROMANCE AND LOVE,
(by Marjorie Holmes, c. 1976)

It is easy to mistake romance for love. Yet there are many differences:
Romance is fleeting ... Love is long.
Romance is dancing in the moonlight. Gazing deep into desired
eyes across a candlelit table ... Love is saying: "You're tired, honey,
I'll get up this time" -- and stumbling through the darkness to warm a
bottle or comfort a frightened child.
Romance is suspense, anticipation, surprise.... Love is dependability.
Romance is tingling excitement .... Love is tenderness, constancy,
being cherished.
Romance is generally based on opposition, risks and denials.
(Who'd ever have heard of Romeo and Juliet if their parents hadn't
objected?) ... Love is more often based on a similar background
where parents and friends approve, even encourage: "Good. You were
made for each other."
Romance is an eager striving always to appear attractive to each
other .... Love is two people who find beauty in each other no matter
how they look.
Romance is flattering attentions.... Love is genuine thoughtfulness.
Love is heightened and sweetened by romance, but it can survive
without it .... Romance feeds only on itself and thus is self-consuming.
Romance is delicious .... Love nourishes.
Romance is seeking perfection .... Love is forgiving faults.
Romance is flying .... Love is safe landing.
Romance is the anguish of waiting for the phone to ring to bring
you a voice that will utter endearments .... Love is the anguish of
waiting for a call that will assure you someone else is happy and safe.
Romance can't last .... Love can't help it.

Amazing Grace

You know how you can hear a song so much that it becomes white noise?

Amazing Grace became white noise to me long ago. But for whatever reason, it popped in my head this morning. Everyone is familiar with that first verse, and many love the last one: "When we've been there ten thousand years ..." But there is one line that struck me today like it never has before -- something so profound that it reminded me of a Graham Kendrick quote: "I have heard theologians say that some theological truths are so profound that they can only be expressed in poetry."

"Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.

How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed."

Wow -- think about that: "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved." We think of it in that second sense -- it relieves fear, removes death. But before it does that, it teaches our hearts to fear. The fear of the Lord is an act of grace. Isn't that, pardon the cliche, amazing?

I have a long-time friend who unfortunately is not a Christian. Never has been, and in fact has always been antagonistic towards it. He says he and God have a deal: they stay out of each other's business. Recently he brought up something to do with theology and we got on the subject of hell. He said, with a smile, that God will have to send him to hell because heaven ain't big enough for the both of them.

Don't we all know people like that -- or at least see, or hear about people like that -- people who have no fear, no respect? Think about how God, Jesus, hell are all slang, curses, jokes in our culture, and how often people never really think about what they're saying, or care. And what makes a difference in us? Why do we care? Because we're smarter?

No -- twas grace that taught our hearts to fear. So no matter if the phrase has become white noise or a cliche, "amazing" is about as good an adjective for grace as the limits of human vocabulary will allow.

A Total Sweetheart

Your Candy Heart Says "Hug Me"

A total sweetheart, you always have a lot of love to give out. Your heart is open to where ever love takes you! Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a surprise romantic evening that you've planned out Your flirting style: lots of listening and talking What turns you off: fighting and conflict Why you're hot: you're fearless about falling in love

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

What are we thinking about?

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Review of "Fading Grass" by Chad Lewis

Review: Fading Grass

Chad Lewis, the voice behind the Sojourn Community’s latest record, has proven to be a pastoral singer-songwriter not only in the sense of “relating to spiritual care or guidance,” but in the literary sense “of or relating to the countryside.” Lewis is a storyteller, and God’s creation is his backdrop.

Lewis, with bandmates Mike Cosper, Eddy Morris and Nate Mitchell, documents his journey from brokenness and uncertainty to trust in a sovereign God through the lyrics of ten original songs full of creation imagery. It’s a world brimming with word-pictures of rivers and fields, peach trees and dusty roads, hardened clay ground and fertile shore lines, dark places where storm winds blow, night skies full of shooting stars, distant seas, crossroads, dwindling fires that yield cold, smoldered embers, a barren land. And interwoven among these images is the clear picture of the hand of Providence that leads the traveler home. Mythological symbols from Camelot to Icarus’ wings of wax turn up in these lyrics, only to prove illusory, leaving the narrator still in need of a truth and grace that will always save the day, though it does so under God’s terms and for His glory:

“And this cup, this cup of grief, You helped me drink it to the dregs
And this thorn in my soul is Your story to be told” -- Suffering Song

Lewis occasionally surprises us by turning a cliché on its head, as in “can’t see the forest for the needs” (“Could It Be”), and through ironic images like “Then I long for silence to rescue me / So I can dance in Your sweet embrace” (“Sweet Release”). His use of visual, pastoral imagery, a strong sense of place, and linear storytelling put him in the tradition of Guthrie and Seeger.

Produced by Cosper and engineered by Morris, the music is raw, unbridled Americana -- heartland, blue-collar folk rock, gritty and clean at the same time, like the hands of a working man, washed for supper but undeniably calloused. Musical textures inspired by artists like Mark Knopfler and Bruce Springsteen resonate throughout. The band plays it loose but never sloppy, and, though recorded digitally, they made no use of computer editing. The music rocks hard on cuts like “Remind Me” and “Mire,” and provides gentle restraint on songs like “Oklahoma Fields” and “My Psalm.” Lewis’ rich, powerful baritone is front-and-center, leading us through lament, introspection, acceptance, and peaceful assurance.

Chad Lewis Article

What follows is a reprint of the article on singer-songwriter Chad Lewis from the July/August Travelogue. Stay tuned to Jive To The Monkey for a review of Chad's new album, "Fading Grass."

CHAD LEWIS – A HEART FOR THE BROKEN-HEARTED


“I believe that music will play a big part
in my life in the next years to come.”
-- Chad Lewis’ journal, October 21, 2002

I first saw Chad Lewis in March, 2005 in the basement of the original Narrow Path bookstore on Bardstown Road, where he was headlining a standing-room-only concert. I stood in the back in a crowd of mostly young Christians as he told stories and sang original material, including early versions of several songs that, along with never-before-heard cuts, form the record “Fading Grass,” available later this month from Sojourn Music.

In a review of the show, I wrote: “(Lewis’) voice is big---Nordic. Viking. I’d imagine if he lived a few hundred years ago, he’d have been some village’s leading troubadour of sea shanties or woodland ballads. Here is someone who could calm the villagers or lead them into battle.”

Collected and assured, he sang songs of loss and recovery, confusion and identity, fall and redemption, just as he would the next time I saw him, several months later and on rockier territory. He performed a set during a folk music showcase at the Brick House, a community center in downtown Louisville, for a crowd of mostly agnostic and New Age college students. On the tail of an openly hostile comment about a “hateful Christian speaker” coming soon to U of L, Lewis took the stage, gently performing his same songs of providence and grace, and taking time to win over quite a few spectators with his “folk version” of “Ice, Ice Baby.”

This same calm, pastoral confidence permeates his newest album, “Fading Grass”. Not bad for someone whose high school senior class sarcastically voted him “Most Likely To Host A Talk Show” due to his extreme shyness.

Walking down this dusty, old road
My days of youth are faded grass”
-- “Oklahoma Fields,” from “Fading Grass”

As the son of a piano-playing mother and a Southern Baptist minister, Lewis was exposed to the Gospel and music from earliest memory. Saved after a revival service at the age of six, he often sang in church as part of a trio with his brother and sister. His shyness, however, would have made it hard to predict that Lewis would grow up to preach and sing all over the United States in worship services, retreats, youth rallies, and coffee houses.

“I’m originally from Oklahoma,” Lewis says as we sit in the dining area of his apartment, along with his wife, Ginger Glass, on a recent Sunday evening. “We lived in five different places from the time I was born until we finally settled in Memphis when I was in sixth grade. I was already introverted by nature, but Memphis was such a different culture that I shut down completely. I would often go half a school day without speaking to anyone.”

I ask him if his battle to overcome timidity was on his mind when he wrote “Oklahoma Fields” during a trip home for a funeral as an adult.

“Definitely. Mainly from the aspect of God calling me out, using my weakness to become one of his strengths in me. I’m shocked at how God has given me strength to minister. That’s something I could never take credit for on my own.”

“Another aspect of that song is that I’d thought that my life would not be fulfilled unless I had a romantic relationship. When my dreams of marriage to an old girlfriend crumbled in 2002, God showed me that I’d never fully rested in Him. It was always God and something. Never just God. The lesson is that God is sufficient. He’s all I need. It’s the toughest lesson.”

His grief over that cataclysmic breakup also drove him deeper into songwriting, an activity that provided catharsis.

“Oh, how I hurt now. I was awakened at 4:30 a.m. and couldn’t sleep.
I penned the following words to a new song and prayed
that it would minister to thousands of people.”
Chad Lewis’ journal, September 2, 2002

Lewis slowly found his voice as a writer, a voice of bitter experience that has refused to harden, a voice that admonishes and comforts. He wrote many of his nearly seventy songs in the months that followed, as an outpouring of his experience, and this is still the way he typically writes.

“I write songs because I can’t not write them. I write out of a stirring in my spirit, when I’m feeling despair, longing, or even love. The times when I’m really struggling internally are when my songs pour out. I write to get out what’s inside, as well as to let the broken-hearted know that they’re not alone.”

This same theme dominates “Fading Grass,” a record that chronicles God’s sovereignty and asks Him to remind us who He is, and, as Lewis sings in “Remind Me” to “Remind me whose I am.”

Lewis began to hone his guitar skills in his early twenties. “I started taking lessons from an old hippie-folk lady. She instructed little kids -- and me. She taught me Peter, Paul, and Mary, John Denver -- songs like that. I wrote a few songs that summer, but of course they were terrible. I look back now and realize I was just at the beginning stage of my development as a writer.”

I ask him the songwriting equivalent of the “chicken or the egg” dilemma: “Which comes first, the lyrics or the melody?”

“The music usually comes first and I just start singing, making up lines. Whatever is on my heart comes out. But it might be a year or two later when I go back and revisit it.”

At which point, the revision process begins.

“We beat him over the head with song structure.”
Mike Cosper, Worship Arts Pastor, Record Producer

Lewis credits Mike Cosper and Eddy Morris with making him a better writer, although they are loathe to claim too much credit. Cosper and Morris, respectively, produced and engineered “Fading Grass” at Morris’ Ear Candy Studios and each played several instruments on the record. “His songs were great,” Cosper said when asked about the original drafts of Lewis’ material, “and if you know Chad, you’ll hear his music and see how clearly his heart shines through it. “[The songs]” just needed to be tweaked and tightened. He was incredibly humble throughout the whole thing.”

Morris added, “The key to making an interesting record is to start with an interesting batch of songs and keep working at it until it is done … Chad was unusually receptive to our criticism.”

Lewis also received advice from his friend, Nashville singer-songwriter Matthew Perryman Jones, a contributor to the Indelible Grace series of hymn records and a member of the Square Peg Alliance, a group of songwriting friends that includes Derek Webb, Jill Phillips, Eric Peters, Randall Goodgame, and Andrew Osenga of Caedmon’s Call, among others. Lewis visited Jones in Nashville shortly before recording “Fading Grass,” and noted Jones’ advice on everything from songwriting to avoiding burnout.

Back in Lewis’ apartment dining room, he says that he’s grown immensely as a writer during this process---through the help of Jones, Cosper, Morris, and the monthly Sojourn songwriting workshops. “Just learning about structure, getting critiques -- I’ve never been around a whole songwriting community before.”

I have no plans anymore
But to live and die well
Spread love profusely all around
And Your grace tell, of Your grace tell
-- “Sweet Release,” from “Fading Grass”

Lewis became engaged to friend-turned-sweetheart Ginger Glass during the recording process. The two married on June 10, are each pursuing graduate studies in Louisville. They intend to spend at least the next two years here, finishing school. Beyond that, whether Lewis is on pastoral staff somewhere or takes a “tent-making” job that allows him to stay plugged in at Sojourn is up to God. “My heart is just to be a minister who reaches the broken-hearted with the message of the Gospel,” Lewis says.

“With Sojourn’s help, this CD went far beyond my dreams and expectations. I can’t believe these are my songs. [he prays] ‘I don’t have any idea what You’re going to do with it, Lord, whether it’s just for the Sojourn community and a few people as we travel, or whether it really takes off.’ It’s all in God’s hands.”

Great New Record

Stay tuned for the text of an article I wrote on singer-songwriter Chad Lewis for the last issue of Travelogue (the journal of Sojourn Community, my church here in Louisville). You get loads of info on his life and music, and the low-down on his brand new CD. If you're local, the album release party will be this Sunday evening at Highland Christian Fellowship.

Here is Chad's Home Page, which contains tons of links. You can listen to some of the new record, too.

Lewis

"You will certainly carry out God's purpose however you act but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John."

-- C.S. Lewis, "The Problem Of Pain"

Invasion Of The Octopus

Monkey Maniacs, the story of the day here in the Louisville area is that somebody found a dead Octopus in the Ohio River. Here is the STORY.

ONLY THREE MORE WEEKS!

It's COMING!

I shall have it, I shall have it,
Oh my brothers, we shall dance!
Oh my goodness, goodness gracious,
Oh my sisters, we shall dance!
We shall kick upon the floor
And trip the light with golden pants,
I shall have it, hallelujah,
Oh my people we shall dance!

Well, I've always thought Saturn looked cool

You Should Rule Saturn

Saturn is a mysterious planet that can rarely be seen with the naked eye. You are perfect to rule Saturn because like its rings, you don't always follow the rules of nature. And like Saturn, to really be able to understand you, someone delve beyond your appearance. You are not an easy person to befriend. However, once you enter a friendship, you'll be a friend for life. You think slowly but deeply. You only gain great understanding after a situation has past.

What Planet Should You Rule?

Unchanging Word

Here is what I was looking for to share with you when I ran across the earlier song. You'll notice this one is laid out differently than the previous one. This was constructed in hymn meter. But anyway, I just wrote it as text. My friend Chandi is having a go at coming up with a melody:

UNCHANGING WORD Bobby Gilles

Unchanging Word that has no end;
It sets me free yet holds me in.
Delivers from the power of sin.
Unchanging Word that has no end.

Unchanging Word that draws us near;
Its message pure; its meaning clear.
Lights darkened corners -- casts out fear.
Unchanging Word that draws us near

optional chorus

You speak to us. You speak to us. Your Word is true; You speak to us.


Unchanging Word by which we're blessed,
It trains us in all righteousness.
Objective truth; sure promises.
Unchanging Word by which we're blessed.

Unchanging Word, our Northern Star --
A guide no matter where we are.
Shines even in the midnight hour;
Unchanging Word, our Northern Star.

(repeat chorus)

Unchanging Word, eternal truth.
When we fall short it brings reproof.
Dear Lord, it pulls us back to You;
Unchanging Word, eternal truth.

Unchanging Word, a mighty sword
Wielded by the risen Lord.
Victorious forevermore --
Unchanging Word, a mighty sword.

(repeat chorus)

Something to gnaw on

Here's another something I wrote forever ago and forgot about until I ran across it while looking for another song. This one was conceived as a witness song rather than a congregational song (what some churches call "special music").


WHAT’S JUST BEYOND MY GRASP

first verse

Sleepless nights, internal fights I have in my mind

Every time Life throws a curve my way;

Should I have done things differently, or have I been blind?

Or is it just something I’m meant to face?

Sometimes I simply don’t know, but I know who does.

And He will give my heart peace if I’ll give Him my trust ...

chorus

In God’s hands I will leave the problems I can’t comprehend;

When I haven’t got the answers, I just turn to Him.

Some things I cannot explain, or even understand,

But what’s just beyond my grasp is in His hands.

second verse

It’s easier to keep the faith when I see God move –

When He lets me in on what He’s planned;

When He’s silent, I forget He doesn’t owe me proof

(As if I could give Him a reprimand)

He may not do things my way, but then again, who am I?

He can see more clearly – His throne sits On High.

repeat chorus

The Sandy Hole

I am haunted by this poem today, and the image it conjures. Isn't it true how grief can separate us, make us unwilling to give or receive solace from each other? And isn't that in itself a tragedy?

THE SANDY HOLE
by Jane Kenyon (1947-1995)

The infant's coffin no bigger than a flightbag ....
The young father steps backward from the sandy hole,
eyes wide and dry, his hand over his mouth.
No one dares to come near him, even to touch his sleeve.

Beauty

Could there be a better essay on the dangers and vapidity of physical beauty than this poem by Abraham Cowley (1618-1667)?

Beauty
from The Mistress, Poems (1656; editor's copy)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
BEauty, thou wilde fantastick Ape,
Who dost in ev'ry Country change thy shape!
Here black, there brown, here tawny, and there white;
Thou Flatt'rer which compli'st with every sight!
Thou Babel which confoundst the Ey
With unintelligible variety!
Who hast no certain What, nor Where,
But vary'st still, and dost thy self declare
Inconstant, as thy she-Possessors are.

2.
Beauty, Loves Scene and Maskerade, 10
So gay by well-plac'd Lights, and Distance made;
False Coyn, with which th'Impostor cheats us still;
The Stamp and Colour good, but Mettal ill!
Which Light, or Base we find, when we
Weigh by Enjoyment, and examine Thee!
For though thy Being be but show,
'Tis chiefly Night which men to Thee allow:
And choose t'enjoy Thee, when Thou least art Thou. [1656: lest

3.
Beauty, Thou active, passive Ill!
Which dy'st thy self as fast as thou dost kill! 20
Thou Tulip, who thy stock in paint dost waste,
Neither for Physick good, nor Smell, nor Tast.
Beauty, whose Flames but Meteors are,
Short-liv'd and low, though thou wouldst seem a Starre,
Who dar'st not thine own Home descry,
Pretending to dwell richly in the Eye,
When thou, alas, dost in the Fancy lye.

4.
Beauty, whose Conquests still are made
O're Hearts by Cowards kept, or else betray'd!
Weak Victor! who thy self destroy'd must be 30
When sickness storms, or Time besieges Thee!
Thou'unwholesome Thaw to frozen Age!
Thou strong wine, which youths Feaver dost enrage,
Thou Tyrant which leav'st no man free!
Thou subtle thief, from whom nought safe can be!
Thou Murth'rer which hast kill'd, and Devil which wouldst Damn me.

Jive Monkey Gold: Worship Writing Workshop, part nine

Here is the last of the columns I wrote about our monthly worship songwriting workshops. We've continued to meet each month and have added some great singer-songwriters to our group. If you're local to this area (Louisville, KY) shoot me an email to learn more info, should you want to come.

This column originally ran in February of this year:

Sojourn Worship Songwriting Workshop, pt. 9

We had six writers at the songwriting workshop this past Saturday. That's our overall average so far, although we've had a total of 13 come to at least one. We had nine in December -- I knew we'd lose some this time because of the Sojourn partners' meeting that was held from 9 to 11:30 that morning, so I was happy we had six.

Jay had presented a first draft of a song called "From These Hands" in December. He'd received some good advice then from Eddy and Chandi regarding the music -- streamlining it, cutting down on the interludes between lines, stuff like that. He'd also written some lines that didn't quite fit the meter -- too many words crammed in too little space. He worked on all that stuff and presented the song again yesterday. It's really good. He still needs to decide some stuff about the bridge. Jeremy suggested that, although there are some good lines in the bridge, it might not be necessary to have lyrics there at all -- it might be better just to have music there. Jay's going to play around with it some more.

He also played us a rewrite of the song he'd done back in the September workshop. He's tightened it up a lot and made it a very catchy pop worship song, although he still has some parts to finish.

Lorie played the two songs she's written solo recently (she's co-written a couple handfuls with me). On "All Things New" we had Jeremy strum guitar rather than have Lorie play keyboard. He played around with some of the chords and made it sound more "finished." We also felt that the second verse should have at least one end-rhyme (right now it's A-B-C-D). I pointed out that doing so would make it conform to the pattern of the first verse (A-B-C-B). Jeremy suggested a way to change the second line of the second verse so that it rhymed with the fourth line, so she may plug that in there and see how it sits with her.

We were divided as to the effectiveness of the lyrics in the bridge -- whether they were too "inside/ church-ish" in comparison with the more "street-level" lyrics of the rest of the song. This is always a difficult choice. You don't want to needlessly confuse people or become so obtuse that only theologians can grasp your points, but on the other hand, we shouldn't just give up in the face of the overwhelming Biblical illiteracy that plagues this country. Paul said to "teach and admonish" each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. I'm not sure what she's going to decide in this particular instance, but I know she isn't one for dumbing-down standards.


I played a hymn I'd written -- old-school hymn/ folk ballad style -- four verses, no chorus, all in iambic tetrameter (like He Leadeth Me or In Christ Alone). You'll find the rough draft of these lyrics in my January 6th blog column, "Hope." They suggested a few line edits that I am now working on.

There was one word that, admittedly, didn't make much sense but I'd left it in there because it fit the meter. I was being lazy, hoping no one would notice. Predictably, my she-devil sister Lorie noticed and brought it to everyone's attention -- it's the word "created" in the line "from heaven to created ground." Of course, everything, including heaven, is created, so it's a needless word in this context. I was stuck on what to plug into it's place though. I think I've decided to change from an iambic to a trochaic line, though, so it reads "from the heavens to the ground." This only gives me seven syllables (one short of iambic tetrameter) but the change from iamb to trochee will mean the missing syllable won't be missed.

What I mean is, iambs are two-syllable units with an emphasis on the second syllable. Trochees are two-syllable units with an emphasis on the first. So, comparing the two lines, with the stresses as you would naturally sing them:

From HEAven TO creAted GROUND
FROM the HEAvens TO the GROUND

You see what I mean? When singing, you'll put stronger emphasis on the syllables that I've capitalized.

Jeremy also took a copy home because he has some ideas for chords -- the melody would essentially be the same but the chords would be more interesting. So I'll see what he comes up with.

Eddy and Chad couldn't make it but they told me Saturday morning that they've been working on some lyrics I gave to Eddy a couple weeks ago. They've laid some tracks down on it as a demo in Eddy's studio. It was another hymn-metered lyric I'd written, three verses but with an unmetered chorus. They've come up with a melody and played around with the structure. These guys are much better musicians than I am, so I'm very interested in what they've come up with. Hopefully I'll get to hear it soon.

Christa sang an acapella number -- a revision of some lyrics that she'd began some time ago. It has a beautiful melody. She said the original version was "too Disney" but she's obviously worked past that. This song would work well as a call to worship, a prayer-song or meditation piece. Stylistically, it has elements of the Lutheran Chorale-type hymn, which is in itself a derivation, and elaboration of plainsong (otherwise known as Gregorian chant) and other styles from the Middle Ages. Her song works, dramatically, as a solo acapella piece, but it would also be interesting to hear it done as a trio, quartet, or choir piece, with or without a band.

The next workshop is February 18, so between now and then I've got more writing to do. For this, I'll need coffee. Which I'm going to get right now, so goodbye.

Books!

I got this quiz from Tim's blog. Good stuff. Here it is, with my results:

1. One book that changed your life

"The Pursuit Of God" by A.W. Tozer.


2. One book that you read more than once

A Separate Peace. At least 4 times.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island
Unceasing Worship, by Harold Best.

4. One book that made you laugh

"The Nanny Diaries." Yes, I know. It's considered "chic lit." It's drop-dead funny.

5. One book that made you cry

Oh, Man. I'm near tears now as I read this again from "A River Runs Through It:"

Now nearly all those I loved and did not understand when I was young are dead, but I still reach out to them.
Of course, now I am too old to be much of a fisherman, and now of course I usually fish the big waters alone, although some friends think I shouldn't. Like many fly fishermen in western Montana where the summer days are almost Arctic in length, I often do not start fishing until the cool of the evening. Then in the Arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise.
Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
I am haunted by waters.

6. One book that you wish had been written

The Great Gatsby: "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther... And one fine morning ——

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
7. One book that you wish never had been written

I can't answer this.

8. One book that you're currently reading

"The Body Artist" by Don DeLillo.

9. One book you've been meaning to read

"The Physician" by Noah Gordon.

10. Now tag four people

I tag all of you. I will quote Tim now: "There are two rules: The Bible or your holy book cannot be an answer to any of these questions. And only one book per question is allowed; if that is not possible for a specific question, make it only one author per that question. Go, have fun!"

Tozer's final word on self-sins

From "The Pursuit Of God:"

"Let us beware of tinkering with our inner life, hoping ourselves to rend the veil. God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and trust. We must confess, forsake, repudiate the self-life, and then reckon it crucified. But we must be careful to distinguish lazy "acceptance" from the real work of God. We must insist upon the work being done. We dare not rest content with a neat doctrine of self-crucifixion. That is to imitate Saul and spare the best of the sheep and oxen.

"Insist that the work be done in very truth and it will be done. The cross is rough and it is deadly, but it is effective. It does not keep its victim hanging there forever. There comes a moment when its work is finished and the suffering victim dies. After that is resurrection glory and power, and the pain is forgotten for joy that the veil is taken away and we have entered in actual spiritual experience the presence of the living God."

What Kind Of Songs Did The New Testament Christians Sing?

What Kind Of Songs Did The Early Christians Sing?

New Testament Christians sang new songs, songs they created, songs rich in doctrinal content. For examples, go HERE and HERE

These articles list some of the songs but for the most part talk about what scholars feel went on in early worship services and why scholars feel these bits of scripture were sung, and why some of them were likely hymns before, for instance, Paul quoted them in his letters.

For those who don't wish to click on the links, here is a comprehensive, though incomplete, list of the scripture songs (there are some obvious ones I haven't included due to space, like the song of Mary). Note the rich, varied doctrinal content that clearly differentiated Christ from every false god or "good" teacher:

Who is the blessed and only Potentate
the King of kings and Lord of Lords.
Who alone hath immortality,
dwelling in light unapproachable.
Whom no man hath seen, nor can see,
To whom be honour
and power eternal. Amen 1Tim.6;15-16

This is a trustworthy saying;
If we have died together with Him
we shall also reign together with Him;
If we deny Him then
He Himself will then deny us;
If we are unfaithful to Him
He Himself will also deny us;
If we are unfaithful to Him
He Himself will remain faithful;
For He cannot deny Himself. 2Tim.2;11-13

Who being in the very form of God,
did not consider it an object of rapine
To be on equality with God
but emptying Himself
Taking on a Bondman’s form
taking His place in likeness figure of man
He humbled Himself
and became obedient unto death
and even the death of the cross
Wherefore also God highly exalted Him
and granted Him a Name
that is above every name
That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow
of heavenly and earthly and infernal
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
To God the Father’s glory. Philip. 2;6-11.

Great and marvellous are Thy works,
O Lord God Almighty;
Righteous and true are Thy ways,
Thou King of the ages,
Who shall not fear, O Lord,
and glorify Thy Name?
For Thou only art holy;
For all the nations shall come
and worship before Thee;
For Thy righteous acts have been revealed. Rev.15;3-4

He was revealed in the flesh
was vindicated by the Spirit
was seen by angels;
Preached among the Gentiles
believed on in the world
and taken up into glory. 1Tim.3;16


COL. 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Titus 3:4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Hebrews 1:3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

Rev. 1:5B To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. 8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

Rev. 4:11"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."

Rev. 5:9And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."
11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"

13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!"

Rev. 11:15The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign for ever and ever." 16And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying:
"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
the One who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign.
18The nations were angry; and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your saints and those who reverence your name,
both small and great—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth."

Rev.12:10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
11They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
12Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short."

Now That I've Gotten Started ....

HERE is the link to the Christian Copyright License Incorporated list of the Top 25 worship songs sung in the United States for the most recent six-month period, ending February of this year.

In the interest of time we'll talk about the Top 10. I've just looked over the lyrics to each of them. Now let me say that this is not a critique of any particular song. There are wonderful songs on this list, songs that the Church will be, and should be, singing for a long time. "Blessed Be Your Name," "How Great Is Our God," "God Of Wonders:" Man, those are good songs, just to name three off the top of my head.

But when we look at the larger context of the kinds of songs we are singing, again and again, in our churches, and actually scan the lyrics, we'll see that we're returning to the same themes over and over and leaving out key elements of our faith. For instance, what did Christ do, that was physically and historically validated by human beings, that no other religious leader did? He rose from the grave.

Here are the references to this event found in the Top Ten worship songs:

1. "From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky / Lord I lift your name on high."

2. "I'm alive and well, Your Spirit lives within me / Because You died and rose again."

That's it. Two. Now, does that mean Tim Hughes shouldn't have wrote, or we shouldn't sing, "Here I Am To Worship," for instance? Of course not. It's great; it's Biblical. But clearly there is an opportunity for songwriters, worship leaders, singers, and congregations to add songs about the distinguishing characteristic of Christianity, the resurrection, to the repertoire of current church songs.

Here are the references to the Second Coming, or time of final judgment and triumph of good, in the Top Ten worship songs:

1. "One day every tongue will confess You are God / One day every knee will bow."

One. One reference -- two lines of one song. Now granted there are songs which say things like "we will forever worship you" or "You are forever God." Which are true and good statements, and the songs that express those sentiments belong in our canon of songs. But brothers and sisters, are we proponents of yin-yang theology? Is there an end to sin? Yes. An end to war? Yes. An end to strife? Yes. Will God and Satan coexist forever? No!

There is an end; there is a victor. And we are supposed to talk about it, walk about it, sing about, dance about it, write about it, paint about it.

And there is an end to our personal struggles. Will Satan be allowed to torment, accuse, confuse, and tempt us forever? No, no, no, no! We have a predestined end and it is GOOD! One that we're supposed to remind each other of -- Paul tells us to comfort one another with this teaching:

I Thess. 4:17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Can I get a witness? Can I get a witness? Let me hear you, Amen Corner.

So songwriters, have you got writer's block over topics? Singers, looking for some vital but not done-to-death things to record and perform? Pastors, looking for some new themes? How about the resurrection, ascension and return of our Lord?

And let me say once again that I'm not claiming the writers of the songs polled disobeyed God in writing the songs that they did, or that there are incomplete elements to their own theology. I'm just saying, for whatever reason, there are gaps, huge gaps, in the core Christian doctrines that we sing about in our churches these days, which presents good opportunities for those involved in Christian music.

To My Southern Gospel Readers

CLICK HERE for what may be the first scholarly study of historical southern gospel music in book form. I ordered a copy. Excited, am I? Why, yes. It shall sit next to my "Song And Dance Man: The Art Of Bob Dylan" on the ol' shelf.

Even though I love contemporary (read, pop-rock and the various Genre-Heads that spring from this big ol' body) forms, it is interested to think about what has been lost in terms of lyric, and dare I say, theology, when we talk about music of the church. Why aren't modern church-music writers talking about heaven and hell? Why aren't they recounting Bible stories? Why the dearth of material about the Second Coming, and why, given that there are (rightfully) so many songs about the cross, is there so little mention of the resurrection? Now that in itself is a good topic because without the resurrection, the cross is just another good man dying for the cause. There have been many examples of that in history -- a man dying for his friends, his country, his ideals. But does substitutionary atonement flow through any of those sacrifices? No, because none of those heroes had the power over life and death or held the keys to heaven and hell. One man did, and he proved it with the resurrection.

I Cor. 15:17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

But I digress. Check out the link to that book. You may find it of interest.

Oh, Those Short-Sighted Critics

Art critic Albert Wolff, writing in 1876 about the new art movement, Impressionism (Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cassatt), at the Second Impressionist Exhibition:

"The rue Le Peletier is out of luck. After the burning down of the Opera, here is a new disaster which has struck the district. An exhibition, said to be of painting, has just opened at the gallery of Durand-Ruel. The harmless passer-by, attracted by the flags which decorate the facade, goes in and is confronted by a cruel spectacle. Five or six lunatics, one of them a woman, an unfortunate group struck by the mania of ambition, have met to exhibit their works. Some people split their sides with laughter when they see these things, but I feel heartbroken. These so-called artists call themselves intransigeants, "Impressionists." They take the canvas, paints and brushes, fling something on at random and hope for the best."